Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimmi Rasky.
Kimmi, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started as a dog owner who truly knew nothing about the rescue world. After getting our golden retriever, Archie, I learned how many dogs needed homes. So, my husband and I began fostering some pups and once we got to a point where we realized we wanted a second dog, we got our dog Archie training from Say It Once Dog Training.
From there, I saw how much training changed our lives and we continued fostering. We got a foster dog named Thor, who was the sweetest thing… Until he wasn’t. He would show aggression toward strangers out of fear, and I knew that he had the potential to be the most loving dog to the right family if he had the right training. If he did not receive training, there was only one option. He would have likely been euthanized if he bit someone.
And that’s when I realized he was not the only dog in this situation.
When the owner of Say It Once Dog Training, Vinnie Somma, reached out to me in April 2022 about helping him plan a dog event, I hopped right on the opportunity! I love planning events, and as I began planning, I quickly realized that this could be something way more impactful. From there, we developed the Rescue League.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Absolutely not. But as they say, nothing worth having ever is easy. I left my full-time job in June 2023 to give the Rescue League the attention it needed to get off the ground, knowing how difficult the process could be. Of course, we see the same struggles as any nonprofit.
Fundraising, attracting new donors, communicating our mission clearly and efficiently. The pressure is always on to continue working toward advocating for and funding our mission to make sure that no dog gets left behind due to behavioral issues! So, the biggest challenge is likely managing my expectations of success.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
The Rescue League is a nonprofit that provides free training to rescue dogs to reduce the risk of them being returned or euthanized due to behavioral issues. We partner with rescues in several states to help them train and advocate for the adoption of their rescue dogs. Each dog we work with also receives free training from their adopters upon adoption.
I believe that’s what sets us apart. Many rescues do not have the time or resources to put into quality behavior training. We aim to fill the gap in their services to help alleviate the wild need to get dogs adopted.
I’m most proud of our partnerships. It’s been really rewarding building the partnership process with some incredible rescues across the country. Just knowing that, although it might not happen as quickly as I’d like it to, we can be a resource to change the rescue world.
Do you have any advice for those just starting?
Manage your expectations and set small goals for success.
It’s exciting, but overwhelming, to think of your main goal and your main mission and how quickly you want to get there. But you will likely feel defeat after defeat if you don’t give yourself a little grace and some small achievable goals right from the start.
Contact Info:
- Website: sayitoncerescueleague.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sayitoncerescueleague/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sayitoncerescueleague
Image Credits
Heather Rasky and Josh Faust
